Bhatt Salh
Bhikha seems to.have joined the congregation of Guru Amardas at Goindwal. He has composed only two Swaiyas in praise of the V Guru, that are included in Adi Granth at pages 1395-96. As stated earlier, the undermentioned Swaiya reveals the background of their mission. It also illustrates how and why all the eleven Bhatts came to Guru Arjundev. In fact this Swaiya is of historic importance as it comments upon the degraded status of the clergy prevalent in India in those days and the importance that the Guru's congregations had obtained
BHATT
BHIKHA(pronounced as Bhikkhã), a Brahman bard of Sultanpur Lodhi in present-day
Kapurthala district of the Punjab, became a Sikh receiving the rites of
initiation at the hands of Guru Amar Das. He lived up to the time of Guru
Arjan to whom he introduced sixteen other Brãhman minstrels from his community.
They sang in his presence praises to God and the Gurus. Some of their
compositions were included by Guru Arjan in the Guru Granth Sahib. One
of the two stanzas by Bhikha recounts his wanderings in search of a true
saint ending with his ultimate success by the grace of God. "Lord,"
sang the hard, "bath caused me to meet the Guru; as thou wilIest
for me so must I receive O God!"
I wandered all over the place
Searching for a hermit with heavenly Grace.
I met many a mendicant, high flying on the ego fleet Soft-spoken, polished, vainful and sweet.
In vain I wasted all my time, None of them was spiritually fine. Like an empty vessal or hollow pot, They talked a lot, all but rot.
God in their hands was just a pawn Shady deals were in their clan.
At last I reached the rightful place,
With Thee Guru Amardas I found solace.